EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM SERIES EDITED BY G. M. WHIPPLE 


No. 3 

PROBLEMS IN 

ELEMENTARY-SCHOOL INSTRUCTION 


By 

CLIFFORD WOODY, Ph.D. 

Professor of Elementary Education and Director of the Bureau of Educational Reference 
dnd Research, School of Education, University of Michigan 

Author of “Measurement of Some Achievements in Arithmetic“Woody 
Arithmetic Scales, How to Use Them, 1 ' etc ., 


PUBLIC SCHOOL PUBLISHING COMPANY 

BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS 





EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM SERIES EDITED BY G. M. WHIPPLE 


No. 3 

PROBLEMS IN 

ELEMENTARY-SCHOOL INSTRUCTION 


By 

CLIFFORD WOODY, Ph.D. 

U 

Professor of Elementary Education and Director of the Bureau of Educational Reference 
and Research , School of Education, University of Michigan 

Author of “Measurement of Some Achievements in Arithmetic” “Woody 
Arithmetic Scales , How to Use Them” etc. 


COPYRIGHT, 1923 

By PUBLIC SCHOOL PUBLISHING COMPANY 


PUBLIC SCHOOL PUBLISHING COMPANY 

BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS 














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EDITOR’S PREFACE 


Those charged with the training of students 
to enter various professions have felt the need of 
developing plans for bridging the gap between 
theory and practice. One plan has been to exer¬ 
cise students in the solution of typical problems 
taken from actual practice. The use of the 'case- 
method/ as is done in the best law schools, in 
the training of lawyers, is a striking illustration 
of what may be accomplished by such a plan. In 
fact, many, if not most, of the facts and principles 
of law are learned by thus studying actual cases. 
In the same way ‘terrain-exercises/ ‘map-exer¬ 
cises/ or ‘tactical walks/ have been used for years 
in the army to train officers in putting into opera¬ 
tion the principles of military strategy. 

The exercise-books in this “Educational Prob¬ 
lem Series/ , by analogy, might be called “case¬ 
books,” or “pedagogical terrain-exercise books,” 
or “problem-bookssome might prefer to call 
them “project-books” or “project-problem books.” 
By whatever name they may be called, they are 
designed to bridge the gap between theory and 
practice in the field of education. Of the exist¬ 
ence of this gap there can be no question. Pro¬ 
spective teachers in normal schools and colleges 
of education devote time and energy to the mas¬ 
tering of texts in psychology and education, and 
many teachers in service cheerfully undertake ex¬ 
tension courses, summer school and reading cir¬ 
cle work for the purpose of extending their 
knowledge of educational theory, yet too often 
this hard-earned theoretical knowledge seems not 
to be applied to classroom practice. Not always 
because the theory is not understood; even good 
students, whose knowledge of textbook material 
is satisfactory when tested by ordinary recita¬ 
tions and examinations, may fail to make use of 
this material later on in their work as teachers 
or school administrators. This “Educational 
Problem Series” undertakes to supply one rem¬ 
edy for this failure by affording practice in ap¬ 
plying at the very time that the knowledge is 
being acquired. Each problem embodies a situa¬ 
tion that might readily arise in educational work 
—most of them, in fact, actually have arisen in 
the experience of the compilers. If the student 
can use his knowledge skillfully in solving these 
printed problems, the chances are greatly in¬ 
creased that he can—and what is equally impor¬ 
tant, that he will—use this knowledge later in 
solving actual problems as they arise. 


The method by which the books are used will 
vary with the need of the instructor. They have 
been prepared with no single textbook in mind; 
on the contrary, they will be most successful if 
the student has access to a number of texts. It 
follows that the order of presentation of the prob¬ 
lems will differ with the order of development 
of topics preferred by the instructor or textbook 
writer; moreover, it is not likely that all of the 
problems will be used. The books are intention¬ 
ally constructed in such a way that the student 
may detach any problem as it is assigned, and 
each sheet is punched for convenient filing in a 
standard notebook cover. 

Perhaps the most obvious method of using 
the problems is for the instructor, after the class 
has covered a given topic in the course, to assign 
by number those problems that demand knowl¬ 
edge of that particular subject matter for their 
solution. It is recommended that, after written 
replies to a given problem have been received 
from all members of the class, these replies be 
turned over to a ‘committee’ of two or three stu¬ 
dents, who will prepare for the instructor a sum¬ 
mary of them, in which there is brought out the 
different conclusions, or solutions, proposed by 
members of the class, excerpts or quotations from 
striking or particularly well-organized papers, 
criticism of erroneous or inadequate solutions, a 
list of all references cited, and perhaps estimates 
of the merit of the replies—as superior, average 
or inferior. 

Another method is for the instructor to assign 
certain problems to be submitted (or at least for 
oral replies to be attempted) in advance of the 
study of a given topic. Naturally, the replies will 
then be inadequate, but the issues presented will 
afford an excellent incentive for study of the text¬ 
book or perhaps for the presentation of special 
lectures by the instructor or special reports by 
committees of students. After this study of the 
textbook material, the same problems may be 
taken up again for final and authoritative an¬ 
swering. 

Users of the first book issued in this series 
have been unanimous in reporting favorably upon 
its value in stimulating class discussion and in 
adding a new incentive to the study of the text¬ 
book. It is confidently expected, therefore, that 
the publication of a series of books of the same 
type will meet a similar cordial response. 

G. M. W. 




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AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION 


The fifty-seven “problems” constituting this I 
book are confined to the aims, the choice of sub¬ 
ject matter, or the methods of teaching in the 
fields of language, reading, arithmetic, and spell¬ 
ing. The problems have been so selected that 
the acquiring of satisfactory solutions necessi¬ 
tates a critical review of all available experi¬ 
mental data bearing on the enumerated subjects 
and guarantees a definite knowledge of the sub¬ 
ject matter usually required in such courses as 
the Psychology of the Common-School Branches 
or the Supervision of the Elementary-School 
Subjects. These problems have arisen in the 
classroom, in the home, or in the street, but they 
have all been confronted by the author in his ex¬ 
perience as a teacher in the elementary school, a 
superintendent of public schools, or a university 
instructor of elementary education. Some of 
them, owing to the more or less logical and 
abbreviated descriptions, may seem rather 
formal and unreal, but all were actual problems 
pressing for solution. 

Wrestling with these problems, all of which 
are typical of the problems teachers and super¬ 
visors actually confront, should portray the ex¬ 
isting relationship between schoolroom practices 
and modern theory of education on the one hand 
and between schoolroom practices and the facts 
and principles of psychology on the other hand. 
Arriving at satisfactory solutions should give the 
student such training as will be needed in con¬ 
fronting the real issues of modern school life. 


SUGGESTIONS TO THE STUDENT 

The purpose in assigning the written exercises 
in this book is to train you in using the knowl¬ 
edge gained from your textbooks, lectures, and 
class discussions in solving real educational 
problems. Every problem in this book presents 
a bona fide situation, one that has actually arisen 
in educational practice, even though in some 
cases the details have been somewhat altered for 
the sake of presenting the theoretical issue with 
greater clarity and simplicity. Relatively little 
advantage will accrue to you if you merely read 
the problem hurriedly and dash off your personal 
opinion. The more painstaking your work, the 
more gain you will yourself receive in training 
for the profession of teaching. 

In general, your procedure should be as 
follows: 

1. Read the problem carefully. Analyze it 


Other advantages that have been realized 
from the use of these problems are: they neces¬ 
sitate that each student hand in some written 
work daily; they motivate his reading and com¬ 
pel him to select portions bearing on the prob¬ 
lem at hand; they habituate him in citing scien¬ 
tific data in the solution of teachers’ problems; 
they aid in the definite formation of the real 
problems of teaching; and they suggest nu¬ 
merous other problems than the ones specifically 
given and beget a consciousness of the fact that 
not all the problems in elementary education are 
solved. 

The book is primarily intended for use in 
courses in universities and normal schools, but it 
may well be used by superintendents for direct¬ 
ing the discussion in teachers’ meetings. It is 
also well adapted for study purposes in Reading 
Circle Work or in the monthly institutes held in 
some of our states. 

In the preparation of this book the author is 
greatly indebted to members of the various 
classes with whom these exercises have been 
used and to various teachers and citizens who 
have unwittingly contributed numerous situa¬ 
tions. He is especially indebted to his colleagues 
Professors J. B. Edmonson and G. M. Whipple 
for the aid which they have rendered. 

Clifford Woody 

University of Michigan, 

June 1, 1923 


FOR HANDLING THE PROBLEMS 

so that you get clearly in mind the questions at 
issue. 

2. Make a memorandum of the facts and 
principles that you need to know in order to 
solve the problem. 

3. Consult the textbooks, bulletins, and 
periodicals that will supply the facts and prin¬ 
ciples that you need. 

4. Confer freely with other members of your 
class, but do not allow your associates to dictate 
your own answers. Make up your own mind; 
formulate your own argument; give your own 
references; be prepared to defend your position. 

5. In writing your report be definite and spe¬ 
cific. Number all points. Cite the references 
consulted. If quotations are made, cite author, 
title, and page. Make your report a finished 
product from the standpoint of composition. 










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LIST OF PROBLEMS 


1. Formal vs. Functional Instruction in Lan¬ 

guage 

2. Speech Habits in the Making 

3. Scientific Control of Eye-Habits 

4. Increasing Speed in Reading 

5. Pages Read in the Second Grade 

6. What Shall Children Read? 

7. Aims in Teaching Reading 

8. Reading Activities in Grade V 

9. Use of Children’s Story Books 

10. Introducing Primary Reading t 

11. “Picture Readers” 

12. Diagnosis in Second-Grade Reading 

13. Excessive Sounding of Words 

14. Dramatization 

15. Use of Script in Introducing Primary 

Reading 

16. Suspected Disability in Reading 

17. Inner Speech and Effective Study 

18. The Silent Reading Hoax 

19. ‘Watchful Waiting’ in Reading 

20. The Attorney’s Charge against Oral Read¬ 

ing 

21. The Place of Counting in Beginning Arith¬ 

metic 

22. Counting in the Solution of Problems 

23. Specific Number Situations 

24. The Drill Period in Arithmetic 

25. Time of Beginning Formal Instruction in 

Arithmetic 

26. Place of Arithmetic in the Daily Program 

27. Exposed vs. Unexposed Answers in Learn¬ 

ing Number Combinations 


28. Developing Accuracy in the Fundamental 

Operations 

29. Learning the Multiplication Table 

30. A Drill Device in the Fundamental Opera¬ 

tions 

31. Boosting Drill Devices in Arithmetic. 

32. Analysis of Errors in Arithmetic 

33. More Analysis of Errors in Arithmetic 

34. Group vs. Class Instruction in Arithmetic 

35. Methods in Column Addition 

36. Purpose of Teaching Arithmetic 

37. Selection of Subject Matter in Arithmetic 

38. Motivation in Arithmetic 

39. Approximating Answers in Arithmetic 

40. The Austrian vs. the “Take Away” Method 

of Subtraction 

41. Labelling Steps in the Solution of Problems 

42. Making Arithmetic Easy 

43. Projects in Arithmetic 

44. Standards of Achievement in Arithmetic 

45. Selecting a Spelling Vocabulary 

46. Spelling in the ‘Good Old Days’ 

47. Impossible Words in Spelling 

48. Learning to Spell by Rule 

49. A Cure for Poor Spelling 

r 50. Spelling in Context or Columns 

51. Teaching Homonyms 

52. Diagnosing a Spelling Situation 
^'53. Teaching vs. Testing Spelling 

54. Syllabification in Spelling 

55. Permanence in Spelling Achievement 

56. Spelling Disability 

57. Misspelled Words 



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BIBLIOGRAPHY 


General 

1. Relationship of Psychology of Common-School 

Branches to the Curriculum 

Bonser, F. G. Elementary School Curriculum, 
Chs. I-III. MacMillan, 1921. 

2. General Statement of the Laws of Learning 

Colvin, S. S. The Learning Process, Ch. IV. Mac¬ 
Millan, 1915. 

James, Wm. Principles of Psychology, Vol. I, 
Ch. IV. Henry Holt & Co., 1899. 

Thorndike, E. L. Educational Psychology, Vol. 2, 
Chs. I and III. Bureau of Publications, Teach¬ 
ers College, 1913. 

Watson, J. B. Psychology from the Standpoint 
of a Behaviorist, Ch. VIII. Lippincott, 1919. 

Language 

3. Language, Its Definition, Purpose, and Method 

of Acquisition 

Dewey, J. How We Think, Ch. XIII. Heath & 
Co., 1910. 

Judd, C. H. Psychology of the High-School Sub¬ 
jects, Ch. VII. Ginn & Co., 1915. 

Kirkpatrick, E. A. Fundamentals of Child Study, 
Ch. XIII. MacMillan, 1912. 

4. Relation of the Science and Art Aspects of 

Language Teaching 

Blount, Q. 11 The Question of Formal Grammar. ’ 7 
American School Master, 9: 1916, 385. 

Briggs, T. H. “Formal Grammar as a Disci¬ 
pline.” Teachers College Becord, 14: 1913, 1. 

Charters, W. W. “Minimum Essentials in Gram¬ 
mar/ J Sixteenth Yearbook, Nat. Soc. Study 
Educ., Part I, Ch. VI. 

Moore, Annie E. “Quantitative Study of Oral 
English in the Primary Grades.’ 7 Teachers 
College Becord, 20: 1919, 265. 

Wilson, G. M. “Locating the Language Error of 
School Children . 17 El. Sch. Jour., 21: 1920, 290. 

5. Applications of Psychology for Language 

Teaching 

Baltimore County Course of Study. Warwick and 
York, 1921. 

“ Language Lessons. 77 Bulletin 30, State De¬ 
partment of Education, Lansing, Michigan, 1919. 

“Report of Committee on Reorganization of Sec¬ 
ondary School English . 77 U. S. Bureau of Edu¬ 
cation, 1917, Bulletin, No. 2. 

Reading 

6. Motor Aspects of Reading 

A. Eye Movements 

Buswell, G. T. “The Eye-Voice Span in Read¬ 
ing/ 7 Sup. Educ. Mon., TJ. of Chicago, No. 17. 

Dearborn, W. F. “Psychology of Reading ,’ 7 Co¬ 
lumbia Contributions to Phil, and Psych., T: 
1906, No. 1. 

Gray, C. T. “ Types of Reading Ability. 7 7 Sup. 
Educ. Mon., TJ. of Chicago, Vol. I, No. 5. 

Huey, E. B. Psychology and Pedagogy of Bead¬ 
ing, Ch. II. MacMillan, 1910. 

Judd, C. H. “Reading, Its Nature and Develop¬ 
ment/’ Sup. Educ. Mon., TJ. of Chicago, Vol. 2, 
No. 4. 

O’Brien, J. Silent Beading. MacMillan, 1921. 

Schmidt, W. A. “Experimental Study in the 
Psychology of Reading.” Sup. Educ. Mon., TJ. 
of Chicago, Vol. 1, No. 2. 

Terry, P. W. “How Numerals are Read.” Sup. 
Educ. Mon., TJ. of Chicago, No. 18. 


B. Other Motor Aspects 

Pintner, R. “Inner Speech During Silent Read¬ 
ing.” Psych. Bev., 20: 1913, 129. 

Quantz, J. O. “Problems in the Psychology of 
Reading.” Psych. Bev., Mon. Sup. 2:1897, No. 1. 

7. Perceptual Aspects of Reading 

Cattell, J. M. “Time it Takes to See and Name 
Objects.” Mind, 11; 1886, 63. 

Cattell, J. M. “The Influence of the Length of 
Stimulus on the Length of Reaction Time.” 
Brain, 8: 1886, 512. 

Hamilton, F. “Perceptual Factors in Reading.” 
Arch, of Psych., 1: 1907, No. 9. 

Huey, E. B. Psychology and Pedagogy of Bead¬ 
ing, Chs. Ill and IV. MacMillan, 1910. 

Ruediger, W. E. “The Field of Distinct Vision.” 
Columbia Contr. to Phil, and Psych., 17: 1907, 
No. 1. 

Sanford, E. C. “Relative Legibility of Small 
Letters.” Amtr. Jour. Psych., 1: 1888, 402. 

8. Meaning and Memory Aspects of Reading 

Germane, G. B. “Outlining and Summarizing 
Compared with Re-reading.” Twentieth Year¬ 
book, Nat. Soc. Study Educ., Part II, Ch. VII. 

Horn, E. “Constructive Program in Silent 
Reading.” Jour. Educ. Besearch, 3: 1921, 336. 

Huey, E. B. Psychology and Pedagogy of Bead¬ 
ing, Chs. V to VIII, MacMillan, 1910. 

Judd, C. H. “Reading, Its Nature and Develop¬ 
ment.” Sup. Educ. Mon., TJ. of Chicago, Vol. 
2, No. 4. 

King, I. “A Comparison of Slow and Rapid 
Readers.” Sch. and Soc., 4: 1916, 830. 

Yoakum, C. S. “The Effect of a Single Read¬ 
ing.” Twentieth Yearbook, Nat. Soc. Study 
Educ., Part II, Ch. VI. 

9. Reading as Reasoning 

Burgess, May A. Silent Beading Tests. Russell 
Sage Foundation, 1921. 

Courtis, S. A. “Analysis of Reading Ability.” 
Jour. Educ. Besearch, 4: 1921, 287. 

Thorndike, E. L. “Reading as Reasoning.” 
Jour. Educ. Psych., 9: 1917, 323. 

10. The Influence of Mental Set 

Bobbitt, F. “Reading in the Indianapolis Pub¬ 
lic Schools.” El. Sch., Jour., 19: 1919, 665 
and 741. 

Dunn, Fannie. Interest Factors in Primary Bead¬ 
ing. Teachers College Contribution, No. 113. 

Gray, C. T. “Types of Reading Ability as Ex¬ 
hibited Through Tests and Laboratory Experi¬ 
ments.” Sup. Educ. Mon., TJ. of Chicago, Vol. 
1, No. 5. 

Gray, W. S. “Studies of Elementary School 
Reading Through Standardized Tests.” Sup. 
Educ. Mon., TJ. of Chicago, Vol. 1, No. 1. 

Hoover, J. H. “Motivated Drill Work in Third- 
Grade Silent Reading.” Twentieth Yearbook, 
Nat. Soc. Study Educ. Part II, Ch. V. 

Horn, E. “Constructive Program for Silent Read¬ 
ing.” Jour. Educ. Besearch, 3: 1921, 336. 

Hosic, J. F. Empirical Studies in Beading. 
Teachers College Contribution, No. 114. 

Jordan, A. M. Interest in Primary Beading Ma¬ 
terials. Teachers College Contribution, No. 107. 

Whipple, G. M. and Curtis, J. N. “Preliminary 
Investigation of Skimming in Reading.” Jour. 
Educ. Psych., 8: 1917, 333. 

Wilson, G. M. and Wilson, H. B. Motivation of 
School Work. Houghton Mifflin, 1916. 

Woody, C. “The Overlapping of the Content of 
Second Readers.” Jour. Educ. Besearch, 2: 
1920, 465. 




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11. Diagnostic and Remedial Instruction in Read¬ 

ing 

Anderson, C. J. and Merton, E. 11 Remedial Work 
in Silent Reading/ ’ El. Sch. Jour.. 20: 1920, 
685. 

Gray, W. S. “Remedial Cases in Reading, Their 
Diagnosis and Treatment/’ Sup. Educ. Mon., 
TJ. of Chicago, No. 22. 

Gray, W. S. “Remedial and Diagnostic Instruc¬ 
tion in Reading/’ Jour. Educ. Eesearch, 4: 
1921, 1. 

12. Psychological Aspects of Speed in Reading 

Gray, W. S. “The Relation of Silent Reading 
to Economy in Education/ ’ Sixteenth Year¬ 
book, Nat. Soc. Study Educ., Part I, Ch. 2. 

Huey, E. B. Psychology and Pedagogy of Bead¬ 
ing, Ch. IX. MacMillan, 1910. 

Henmon, Y. A. C. “Improvement in School Sub¬ 
jects/ ’ Jour. Educ. Eesearch, 1: 1920, 81. 

O’Brien, J. “The Development of Speed in Si¬ 
lent Reading/’ Twentieth Yearbook, Nat. Soc. 
Study Educ., Part II, Ch. IY. 

Peters, C. C. “The Influence of Speed Drills 
upon the Rate and Effectiveness of Silent Read¬ 
ing/’ Jour. Educ. Psych., 8, 1917, 350. 

Whipple, G. M. and Curtis, J. N. “Preliminary 
Investigation of Skimming in Reading.” Jour. 
Educ. Psych., 8: 1917, 333. 

13. Suggestions for Improving Rate and Compre¬ 

hension 

Gray, W. S. “Reading in the Indianapolis Pub¬ 
lic Schools.” El. Sch. Jour., 19: 1919, 336. 

Parker, S. C. “How to Teach Beginning Read¬ 
ing.” El. Sch. Jour., 22: 1921, 15. 

Watkins, Emma. How to Teach Silent Beading 
to Beginners. Lippincott, 1922. 

14. Psychology of Word Study 

See References under 11 Perceptual Aspects of 
Reading.” Also articles by Parker and Judd. 

Brooks, S. S. Improving Schools by Standard¬ 
ised Tests. Houghton Mifflin, 1922. 

Currier, L. B. “Phonics or No Phonics.” El. 
Sch. Jour., 23: 1923, 448. 

Housh, E. T. “Analyzing of the Yocabularies 
of Ten Second-Year Readers.” Seventeenth 
Yearbook, Nat. Soc. Study Educ., Part I, Ch. 
IV. 

Packer, P. C. “Vocabulary of First Readers.” 
Twentieth Yearbook, Nat. Soc. Study Educ. 
Part II, Ch. IX. 

Thorndike, E. L. “The 10,000 Most Commonly 
Used Words.” Teachers College Becord, 12: 
1921, 334. 

Washburne, C. W. “A Basic List of Phonics 
for Grades I and II.” El. Sch. Jour., 23: 
1923, 436. 

Arithmetic 

15. The Place of Perception in the Mastery of 

Number 

Howell, H. B. A Foundation Study in the Peda¬ 
gogy of Arithmetic, pp. 48-73, 156-157, 205-250, 
MacMillan, 1914. 

Thorndike, E. L. Psychology of Arithmetic, Chs. 
XI and XIII. MacMillan, 1922. 

Stone, J. C. How to Teach Primary Number, 
Ch. II. Sanborn, 1922. 

16. Putting Meaning Into Number 

Chase, S. E. “W T aste in Arithmetic.” Teachers 
College Becord, 18: 1917, 360. 

Dougherty, Mary L. “An Experiment in Teach¬ 
ing Arithmetic in the Third Grade.” El. Sch. 
Jour., 22: 1922, 665. 

Freeman, F. N. “Grouped Objects as a Concrete 
Basis for Number Concept.” El. Sch. Jour., 
12: 1912, 306. 


Monroe, W. S. Measuring the Besults of Teach- 
ing, pp. 165-169. Houghton Mifflin, 1918. 
Stone, J. C. How to Teach Primary Number, Ch. 
I. Sanborn, 1922. 

Thorndike, E. L. Psychology of Arithmetic, pp. 

1-8, 54-60, 89-91. MacMillan, 1922. 

Thorndike, E. L. New Methods in Arithmetic, 
Ch. VI. Rand and McNally, 1921. 

17. The Fixing of Meaning 

A. The Amount of Practice Given Compared with the 
Difficulty of Combinations. 

Heilman, J. D. and Shultis, F. W. Studies in 
Addition. Research Bulletin No. 1, Colorado 
Teachers College, 1916. 

Holloway, H. J. An Experimental Study to De¬ 
termine the Belative Difficulty of Number Com¬ 
binations. State Gazette Publishing Co., Tren¬ 
ton, N. J. 

Howell, H. A Foundation Study in Pedagogy of 
Arithmetic, pp. 73-76. MacMillan, 1914. 

Smith, J. H. “Arithmetical Combinations.” El. 
Sch. Jour., 21: 1921, 762. 

B. The Distribution of Practice 

Hahn, H. H. and Thorndike, E. L. “Some Re¬ 
sults of Addition Under School Conditions.” 
Jour. Educ. Psych., 5: 1914, 65. 

Kirby, T. J. Practice in the Case of School Chil¬ 
dren. Teachers College Contributions, No. 58. 
Phillips, F. M. “Comparison of the Work Done 
in Successive Minutes of Ten Minutes Addi¬ 
tion.” Jour. Educ. Psych., 7: 1916, 271. 
Thorndike, E. L. Psychology of Arithmetic, Ch. 
VIII, MacMillan, 1922. 

Thorndike, E. L. “Practice in Addition.” Amer. 
Jour, of Psych., 21: 1910, 483. 

C. Influence of External Conditions on Fixing of 

- Meaning 

Coffman, L. D. and Jessup, W. A. Supervision 
of Arithmetic. MacMillan, 1916. 

Heck, W. H. “Second Study of Mental Fatigue 
at Different Periods of Each Day.” Psych. 
Clinic, 7: 1913, 29. 

Heck, W. H. “The Efficiency of Grammar-Grade 
Children in Reasoning Tests at Different Periods 
Each Day.” Jour. Educ. Psych., 5: 1914, 92. 
Stone, C. W. Arithmetic Abilities and Some 
Factors Determining Them. Teachers College 
Contributions, Nos. 19 and 83. 

Thorndike, E. L. Psychology of Arithmetic, Ch. 
XIII. MacMillan, 1922. 

Winch, W. “Mental Fatigue in Day School Chil¬ 
dren as Measured by Arithmetical Reasoning. 
British Jour, of Psych., 4: 1911, 315. 

D. Description and Evaluation of Certain Drill De¬ 
vices in Arithmetic 

Kelly, F. J. “Results of Three Types of Drill 
on the Fundamentals of Arithmetic.” Jour. 
Educ. Eesearch, 2: 1920, 693. 

Mead, C. D. An Experiment in the Fundamen¬ 
tals. V r orld Book Co., 1917. 

Small, J. A. “The Beginning of Formal Num¬ 
ber Work.” El. Sch. Jour., 18: 1918, 357. 

18. The Influence of Transfer 

Brown, J. C. “Value of Drill Work.” Jour. 

Educ. Psych., 2: 1911, 81; and 3: 1912, 485, 561. 
Kirkpatrick, E. A. “An Experiment in Memo¬ 
rizing vs. Incidental Learning.” Jour. Educ. 
Psych., 5: 1914, 405. 

Monroe, W. C. “The Ability to Place the Deci¬ 
mal Point.” El. Sch. Jour., 18: 1917, 287. 
Stone, C. W. Arithmetic Abilities amd Some 
Factors Determining Them. Teachers College 
Contributions, Nos. 19 and 83. 

Starch, D. “ Transfer of Training. ” Jour. Educ. 

Psych. Vol. 2: 1911, 306. 

Thorndike, E. L. Psychology of Arithmetic, Ch. 
IV. MacMillan, 1922. 

Thorndike, E. L. “The Relation of Speed and 
Accuracy in Addition.” Jour. Educ. Psych., 5: 
1914, 537. 


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Winch, W. H. i ‘ Accuracy in School Children. ’ ’ 
Jour. Educ. Psych., 1: 1920, 557. 

Winch, W. H. “ Transfer of Improvement.’ ’ 
British Jour, of Psych., 2: 1908, 284; and 3: 
1910, 386. 

19. Diagnosis of Errors and Remedial Instruction 

Arnett, L. A. “Counting and Adding/ ’ Amer. 

Jour, of Psych., 16: 1905, 327. 

Browne, C. E. “Simple Arithmetical Processes/’ 
Amer. Jour. Psych., 17: 1906, 1. 

Counts, G. S. “Arithmetic Tests and Studies in 
the Psychology of Arithmetic/’ Sup. Educ. 
Mon., U. of Chicago, Yol. 1, No. 4. 

Gist, A. “Errors in the Fundamentals of Arith¬ 
metic/ ’ Sch. and Soc., 6: 1917, 175. 

Phelps, C. L. “ Study of Errors in Tests of Add¬ 
ing Ability/’ Elem. Sch. Teacher, 14: 1913, 29. 
Smith, J. H. “Individual Variations in Arith¬ 
metic/ , Elem. Sch. Jour., 17: 1916, 195. 
Theisen, W. W. and Fleming, C. W. “The Diag¬ 
nosing Power of the Woody Arithmetic Scales/ ’ 
Jour. Educ., Psych., 9: 1918, 567. 

Thorndike, E. L. New Methods in Arithmetic. 

Ch. VIII, P. 149, Rand McNally, 1921. 

Uhl, W. L. “The Use of Standardized Mate¬ 
rials in Arithmetic for Diagnosing Pupils Meth¬ 
ods of Work.” El. Sch. Jour. 18: 1917, 215. 
Woody, C. Arithmetic Scales and How to Use 
Them. Teachers College Publications, No. 80. 

20. Principles Underlying the Selection of Prob¬ 

lems in Arithmetic 

A. The Social Basis of the Subject Matter 

Bonser, F. G. The Elementary School Curriculum. 

Ch. XI, MacMillan, 1921. 

Coffman, L. D. and Jessup, W. A. The Super¬ 
vision of Arithmetic. Ch. I, XI, MacMillan, 
1916. 

Hoover, J. H. “Motivated Drill Work in Third 
Grade Arithmetic and Silent Reading.” Jour. 
Educ. Besearch , 4: 1921, 200. 

Mitchell, H. “Social Demands on Course of 
Study in Arithmetic.” Seventeenth Yearbook, 
Nat. Soc. Study Educ. Part I, Ch. I. 

Noon, P. G. “The Child’s Use of Numbers.” 

Jour. Educ. Psych., 10: 1919, 462. 

Remer, L., Tilton, O., and Webster Byrnes, H. 
“Arithmetic as a Means of Teaching War Sav¬ 
ings and Thrift.” El. Sch. Jour., 19: 1919,209. 
Reavis, W. C. “The Social Motive in Teaching 
Arithmetic.” El. Sch. Jour., 18: 1917, 264. 

B. The Bearing of Interest on the Selection of 
Problems 

Roberts, C. “Home Planning Arithmetic.” El. 

Sch. Jour., 22: 1922, 621. 

Thorndike, E. L. New Methods in Arithmetic. 

Ch. II, Rand McNally, 1921. 

Thorndike, E. L. Psychology of Arithmetic. 
Ch. XII, MacMillan, 1922. 

21. Over-Emphasized and Under-Emphasized As¬ 

pects of Arithmetic 

Conrad, H. E. and Arps, G. F. “Study of Eco¬ 
nomical Learning.” Amer. Jour. Psych., 27: 
1916, 507. 

Thorndike, E. L. Psychology of Arithmetic. Ch. 
IY, P. 70, MacMillan, 1922. 

22. The Thinking and Reasoning Aspects of Arith¬ 

metic 

Thorndike, E. L. Psychology of Arithmetic. Chs. 
IX and X, P. 169, MacMillan, 1922. 

23. Mooted Questions in the Teaching of Arith¬ 

metic 

Beaty, W. W. “The Additive vs. Borrowing 
Method in Method of Subtraction.” El. Sch. 
Jour., 21: 1920, 198. 

Dewey, J. and Dewey, E. Schools of Tomorrow. 
Sections Bearing on Arithmetic. Dutton and 
Company, 1915. 


Mead, C. D. and Sears, Isabel. “Additive Sub¬ 
traction and Multiplicative Division.” Jour. 
Educ. Psych., 7: 1916, 261. 

Thorndike, E. L. New Methods in Arithmetic. 

Chs. X and XI, Rand McNally, 1921. 
Thorndike, E. L. Psychology of Arithmetic. Ch. 
XIV, MacMillan, 1922. 

Wilson, G. M. and Wilson, H. B. Motivation of 
School Work. Ch. IX, Houghton Mifflin, 1916. 


Spelling 

24. Is Spelling Drill Necessary? 

Fulton, M. J. “ An Experiment in Teaching Spell¬ 
ing.” Ped. Sem., 21: 1914, 287. 

Rice, J. M. “ The Futility of the Spelling Grind.’ 9 
Forum, 23: 1897, 163. 

Wallin, J. E. W. “Has the Drill Become Ob¬ 
solescent?” Jour. Educ. Psych., 1: 1910, 200. 

25. What Words Should be Taught? 

Ayres, L. P. A Measuring Scale for Ability in 
Spelling. Russell Sage Foundation, 1915. 
Anderson, W. N. The Determination of a Spell¬ 
ing Vocabulary Based upon Written Correspond¬ 
ence. (Ph.D. Thesis; University of Iowa, 1917.) 
Cook, W. A. and O’Shea, M. Y. The Child and 
His Spelling. Bobbs Merrill, 1914. 

Jones, W. F. “Concrete Investigation of the 
Materials of English Spelling. 7 ’ (University 
of So. Dakota, 1913). 

Pryor, H. C. “A Suggested Minimal Spelling 
List.” Sixteenth Yearbook, Nat. Soc. Study 
Educ. Part I, Ch. Y. 

Tidyman, W. F. “Survey of Writing Vocabula¬ 
ries of School Children in Connecticut. ” U. S. 
Bureau of Educ. Bulletin, No. 5, Nov. 1921. 

26. How Many Words Should Be Taught Per 

Lesson ? 

Horn, E. Principles of Method in Spelling. 
Eighteenth Yearbook, Nat. Soc. Study Educ., 
Part II, Ch. III. 

Spelling Efficiency in the Oakland Public Schools. 

(Board of Education, Oakland). 

Wallin, J. E. W. Spelling Efficiency in Belation 
to Age, Grade and Sex. Warwick and York, 

1911. 

27. What Imagery Should Be Used in Spelling? 

Abbott, E. E. “Memory Consciousness and 
Orthography.” Psych. Bev. Mon. Sup. 11: 
1909, 159. 

Burnham, W. H. “The Hygiene and Psychology 
of Spelling and Criticism.” Ped. Sem., 13: 
1906, 480. 

Colvin, S. S. and Meyers, E. J. “Development of 
the Imagination of School Children.” Psych. 
Bev. Mon. Sup., 11: 1909, 85. 

Henmon, Y. A. C. “Relation Between Mode of 
Presentation and Retention.” Psych. Bev., 19: 

1912, 79; 

Mead, C. Y. “Spelling by Visualization vs. Drill 
Methods.” Jour. Educ. Psych., 5: 1914, 29. 

28. How Shall Drill Be Distributed? 

Abbott E. E. “Analysis of Factor of Recall in 
Learning Process.” Psych. Bev. Mon. Sup., 11, 
1909, 159. 

Eisenberg, J. L. Experimental Methods in Spell¬ 
ing. (Doctorate Thesis; Univ. of Pa.) 1913. 

29. How Shall Homonyms be Taught? 

Pearson, H. C. “The Scientific Study of the 
Teaching of Spelling.” Jour. Educ. Psych., 2: 
1911, 241. 

30. Should Related Words be Grouped? 

Wagner, C. A. Grouping by Similarity as a Factor 
in Teaching Spelling. (Doctorate Thesis, Univ. 
of Pennsylvania), 1912 




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31. What is the Difference Between Teaching and 
Testing in Spelling? 

Pearson, H. C. “Class vs. Individual Learning.’’ 

Teachers College Record, 13: 1912, 37. 

Zirbes, Laura. “An Experimental Evaluation of 
Method in Spelling.” El. Sch. Jour., 19: 1919, 
778. 


32. Shall We Teach Spelling Rules? 

Cook, W. A. “Spelling by Rule.” Jour. Educ. 
Psych., 3: 1912, 316. 

Cook, W. A. and O’Shea, M. C. “ The Child and 
His Spelling.” Bobbs Merrill, 1914. 

Lester, J. A. “Teaching Freshmen to Spell.” 

Eng. Jour., 5: 1916, 404. 

Turner, E. A. “Rules vs. Drill.” Jour. Educ. 
Psych., 3: 1912, 460. 


33. Shall We Teach Spelling Words in Context? 

Hawley, W. E. and Gallup, J. “The List vs. 
the Sentence Method of Teaching Spelling.” 
Jour. Educ. Research, 5: 1922, 306. 


Hunkins, R. V. “An Experiment in Column vs. 
Dictation Spelling.” El. Sch. Jour., 19: 1919, 
689. 

Tidyman, W. F. and Brown, H. A. “Extent and 
Meaning of Loss in Transfer.” El. Sch. Jour., 
18: 1917, 210. 

34. Shall We Use Syllabification and Diacritical 

Marks as Teaching Aids? 

Abbott, E. F. Psych. Rev. Mon. Sup., 11: 1909, 
127. 

Heilman, J. The Effect of Syllabification on 
Learning to Spell. Colorado State Teachers 
College Publication. Greeley, Colo. 1919. 

Wolfe, H. A. and Breed, F. S. “Study of Syl¬ 
labification in Spelling.” Sch. and Soc., 16: 
1922, 616. 

35. What Types of Spelling Errors are Made? 

Hollingworth, L. S. Psychology of Special Dis¬ 
abilities in Spelling. Teachers College Con¬ 
tributions. No. 88. 

Theisen, W. W. Studies in Educational Meas¬ 
urements in Wisconsin. No. 1, Pp. 18, Madi¬ 
son, 1918. 





Name 


Date 


PROBLEM 1 

Formal vs. Functional Instruction in Language 


Three teachers were having an argument con¬ 
cerning the proper methods of teaching primary- 
language. Each of the teachers insisted that she 
was following the proper method and tried to 
convince the supervisor that her plan should be 
adopted throughout the whole school system. 

Teacher A. said: “The only way to teach 
language is to go about it in a formal and sys¬ 
tematic way. If you expect the children to grad¬ 
uate from the elementary school with a knowl¬ 
edge of grammar, you must begin teaching gram¬ 
mar in the early grades. If they are taught to 
recognize the parts of speech, to decline and con¬ 
jugate, to parse words and to analyze sentences, 
and to know the rules for grammatical procedure, 
they will have no difficulty in writing and speak- 
ing properly and effectively. Furthermore, I be¬ 
lieve that the author of the language book knows 
more about the proper organization of language 
work than I do and therefore his book should be 
closely followed.” 

Teacher B. retorted: “Language teaching 
should be introduced whenever there is a need 
manifest for it. The function of language teach¬ 
ing is to guarantee that the children speak and 


write correctly and effectively. The best way to 
accomplish this is to give the children much op¬ 
portunity to speak and write, and the teacher’s 
task is to give them rich experiences and to put 
them into situations where they will want to 
talk and write. Formal language instruction has 
no place in the day’s program unless the chil¬ 
dren’s speech and writing reveal certain errors 
and weaknesses which need to be remedied. 
Errors should serve as the basis for all language 
teaching, and little or no time should be devoted 
to formal grammar as such.” 

Teacher C. held an intermediary position. 
She said: “I, too, believe the main task of the 
teacher is to give rich experiences to the children 
and to put them into situations where they will 
want to speak and write. However, I recommend 
that a definite period be set aside each day for 
instruction in language and that this instruction 
be positive and based upon the errors which the 
children themselves make or upon the most com¬ 
mon errors made by other children as revealed 
by the various investigations on language errors. 
Formal grammar should be taught definitely in 
Grade VIII, but not before.” 


1. In the light of modern psychology and theory of education which of these three teachers has 
the best practice? Justify your answer. 

2. What are the objections to using errors as the basis for language teaching? 


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Name 


Date. 


PROBLEM 2 

Speech Habits in the Making 


A young man, who had been an instructor in 
an institution of higher learning in one of the 
middle western states, went to an eastern uni¬ 
versity for graduate study with the hope that he 
might secure a better position. He had a good 
mind, was a hard worker, and showed much en¬ 
thusiasm in his work. In class he made many 
voluntary recitations and was determined to make 
a good impression on his instructors and class¬ 
mates. He was succeeding very well, but it de¬ 
veloped that he was very slovenly in his speech. 
This was curiously inconsistent with his general 
knowledge and culture, for he had read widely 
and manifested a broad knowledge of literature; 
he quoted freely from the classics, reveled in art 
and grand opera, understood grammar, and 
wrote correctly and effectively. 

Imagine the impression created when this 
young man, in a heated discussion on the modi¬ 
fication of instincts, spoke somewhat as follows: 
“I ain’t so sure about this modifiability of in¬ 
stincts. Now take climbing for instance, when I 
was a boy I always liked to climb and was 
always climbing. My father tried to induce me 
not to climb, but it didn’t do no good. One day 
he ketched me up in a tree and made me get 
down. When I clum down he thrashed me good, 
but it didn’t have no effect for I just went and 


clum another tree. Thrashing nor nothin’ else 
could keep me from climbing. Even today I like 
to climb trees or barn roofs or mountains.” 

The class roared with laughter and the young 
man thought he had scored a great victory. He 
didn’t know that they were laughing at his 
slovenly speech. In fact, he didn’t know that he 
had spoken in a slovenly way. This was clearly 
shown at the boarding club. When the students 
taunted him about being “up in a tree” and 
asked him how he got down, he replied: “Clum 
down, by heck.” 

Later a friend told this young man why the 
class laughed and what he had said. He at¬ 
tempted to deny that he had used such language, 
but in his denial made four errors which he rec¬ 
ognized when forced to analyze. He was en¬ 
couraged to list all of the errors which he noticed 
in his speech for two days. At the end of that 
time he reported that he had listed over two 
pages of errors and begged not to show them. He 
was much humiliated and talked of withdrawing 
from the university because he felt it was useless 
to hope for a better position after the above in¬ 
cident. Finally, he decided to stay, to correct 
his English, and to redeem himself in the eyes of 
his instructors and classmates. 


1. What specific suggestions could you have given to help this young man improve his habits of 
speech? 

2. Evaluate from a psychological point of view the young man’s proposal to overcome his habits 
of incorrect speech by reading such standard writers as Emerson, Shakespeare, or Bacon for twenty 
minutes a day throughout the school year. 















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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 3 

Scientific Control of Eye-Habits 


A public lecturer, in a discussion on the im¬ 
portance of eye-habits, said recently: “Proper 
eye-habits lie at the basis of effective reading. 
The time is coming when we shall get treatment 
for our eye-habits just as scientifically as we get 
glasses for overcoming the defects of poor vision. 
To illustrate, if one reads too slowly and wishes 
to improve his rate of reading, figuratively, all 
he will need to do is to get a pair of glasses that 


will necessitate a greater span of vision than 
ordinarily exists. Or, if one wishes to reduce the 
number of regressive movements he makes, all 
that he needs to do is to get a pair of glasses that 
refuse to allow the eye to move backwards. These 
and other similar glasses will overcome any of 
the defects of reading by necessitating the forma¬ 
tion of proper eye-habits.” 


1. What facts do we know concerning the relationship of eye-habits and effectiveness of reading? 

2. What evidence do we have on the relationship of the width of the span of vision and the rate 
of reading? 

3. Cite evidence to justify or disprove the assertion that the power to assimilate the material read 
determines the nature of the eye-movements made and that the eye-movements themselves are of 
secondary and not of primary consequence. 

4. How have attempts been made to establish better eye-habits? With what results? 






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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 4 

Increasing Speed of Reading 


In a teachers’ meeting held recently an argu¬ 
ment was started about the effect of attempting 
to increase the speed of reading. Among the 
numerous suggestions made were the following: 

1. Each individual has his natural rate of 
reading; any attempt to increase this rate is im¬ 
possible without seriously impairing the quality 
of the comprehension. 

2. Eye-habits are fixed by the time a student 
reaches the sixth grade; after that time it is im¬ 
possible to change his rate of reading. 

3. The rate of reading can be greatly in¬ 
creased even in the case of adults and the 


efficiency of the comprehension will not be 
affected. 

4. The rapid readers are the best readers. 
The way to improve the quality of the reading is 
to improve the rate of reading. 

5. The method of improving rate of reading 
is to emphasize the ability to comprehend; im¬ 
provement in rate naturally follows. 

6. To increase the efficiency of reading all 
that is necessary is to increase the rate of read¬ 
ing ; the increase of rate will be accompanied by 
an increase in comprehension. 


1. Which of the enumerated statements are true? Which false? 

2. What specific facts does a study of the various experiments on these aspects of reading show 
concerning the possibility of improvement in the rate of reading and its influence on comprehension 
of the materials read? 


3. List specific devices and exercises that might be employed in the attempt to improve the rate 
of reading. 













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Date. 


PROBLEM 5 

Pages Read in the Second Grade 


Three superintendents of schools in cities of 
Michigan having 3,000 to 5,000 inhabitants were 
discussing the amount of reading matter covered 
in the second grade. 

Superintendent A. reported proudly: “I sup¬ 
ply my second-grade teachers with 21 different 
sets of second readers and ask them to teach all 
of the sets.” 

Superintendent B. said: “I provide only a 
basal book and have the pupils read it five or six 
times.” 


Superintendent C. said: “1 order my teachers 
to review the first readers before beginning the 
second readers and to read the third readers be¬ 
fore the close of the second year. If there is any 
time left, I allow them to teach the supple¬ 
mentary readers for the second grade. By re¬ 
viewing the first readers the teachers can 
strengthen the weak spots in the work of pre¬ 
vious teachers and by taking up the third readers 
they can prepare the children for the work of the 
next grade.” 


1. Which of these superintendents has the best practice? Justify your answer. 

2. List any evidence you can find bearing on the amount of subject matter covered in the differ¬ 
ent grades. 



















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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 6 
What Shall Children Read? 


At a recent meeting of the teachers of reading 
in the elementary school the question concern¬ 
ing the nature of the reading material was raised. 

Teacher A. said: “The reading material 
should be varied enough to introduce the child 
to the social life which surrounds him. In fact, 
the reading material should include stories about 
real nature as well as nature myths, stories of 
travel and adventure, stories of great men, biog¬ 
raphies, stories about health and proper living, 
stories involving social relationships and proper 

1. Justify Teacher A/s position. 

2. How can Teacher B. defend her position? 


social life as well as those stories usually spoken 
of as classic stories/ , 

Teacher B., objecting strenuously to this at¬ 
titude, declared: “The reading material should 
be very largely confined to classic stories. There 
is enough material in these stories to occupy all 
of the time devoted to the teaching of reading. 
Furthermore, I maintain that all children should 
be familiar with the classic stories. If they do 
not read them in their reading lessons and so be¬ 
come interested in good literature, they probably 
never will.” 


3. Enumerate the positions taken by current educational writers. 

4. Formulate a set of principles for the selection of subject matter in reading. 













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Date. 


PROBLEM 7 

Aims in Teaching of Reading 


Below are statements of aims in teaching read¬ 
ing as given by a large number of teachers in 
the elementary school: 

1. To teach the child to understand and in¬ 
terpret the printed page. 

2. To read well orally and to give enjoyment 
to others. 

3. To develop an appreciation of good litera¬ 
ture. 

4. To develop thinking, concentration, and 
judgment. 

5. To create a desire for reading. 

6. To get enjoyment from reading. 


7. To increase one’s vocabulary. 

8. To teach the child how to find material in 
books and in the library. 

9. To secure information. 

10. To create an interest in current topics and 
thereby to develop good citizenship. 

11. To give mastery over the mechanics of 
reading. 

12. To supplement the child’s personal experi¬ 
ence and to broaden his own world. 

13. To develop speed in reading. 

14. To develop proper habits of spending leisure 
time. 


1. From this list of aims select a battery which you think represents an adequate statement of 
the aims for the teaching of reading. 

2. If you disagree with the statement of the aims as given above, and you probably will, enumer¬ 
ate below your own statement of aims. 

3. What influence should this statement of aims have on the selection of subject matter in reading? 





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Date. 


PROBLEM 8 

Reading Activities in Grade V 

Assuming that the list given in the left-hand column of the table below represents desirable re¬ 
sults to be attained in the teaching of reading, in the spaces to the right list a number of specific 
activities which might be engaged in by a fifth-grade class to attain the particular results enumerated. 


ATTAINMENT CHART FOR GRADE V 


Results Desired 
Proper Use of Books 


The Development of Effective Study-Habits 


Mastery of the Mechanics of Reading 


1 

2 

3 

4 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 
11 
12 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 


Suggested Activities for Bringing Results 


Development of Speed in Reading 


Development of Efficiency in Both Oral and 
Silent Reading 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 


Development of Permanent Reading Interests 


1 

2 

3 


4 


5 

6 





















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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 9 

Use of Children’s Story Books 


The primary supervisor visiting a school in 
one of the medium-sized cities of Michigan found 
two diametrically opposed points of view con¬ 
cerning the use of children’s story books. It was 
just after Christmas and the children, being very 
proud of their story books, had brought them to 
school. 

Teacher A. admonished the children not to 
read these books during school hours, saying: 
“If you want to read, study in your readers where 
it will do you some good.” The children were 
not always obeying and at times were reading 
from the story books hidden in their laps or 


placed on the inside of other books. This teacher 
asked the supervisor: “What punishment ought 
to be given to such children?” 

Teacher B. allowed the children to read their 
story books. Some even read them for the regu¬ 
lar reading lesson; others had read them during 
the study period or at home and were taking 
turns telling the class the content of what they 
had read. This teacher, when questioned, said: 
“I often allow the children to read other books 
than the school readers during the reading recita¬ 
tion and encourage them to make reports on in¬ 
teresting things they have read.” 


1. Assuming you were supervisor, what advice would you give to Teacher A.? Justify your 
position. 

2. In what ways could you defend the practice of Teacher B.? 

3. List the disadvantages which might be encountered by following the practice of Teacher B. 





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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 10 
Introducing Primary Reading 


Two teachers were discussing their methods 
of introducing the subject of primary reading. 

Teacher A. said: “I begin at once on word 
study and teach the child to recognize quite a 
large number of words before attempting to read 
sentences. It is impossible for the child to read 
sentences if he does not recognize the individual 
words of the sentences.” 

Teacher B. replied: “Such a method will 
make the children choppy word-readers. They 
will read for the sake of the words and not for 
the sake of the thought. I introduce the subject 
of reading by giving the children meaningful ex¬ 
periences and often do not take up practice in 


reading or at least definite instruction in reading 
during the first six weeks. During that time I 
take the children to the fields or woods or mu¬ 
seums and do everything I can to induce them to 
talk freely and to become interested in the things 
about them. Often I tell stories and have them 
retold by the class. Later the children will read 
about things they have seen and about which I 
have told them. By such a process I prepare 
them so that they will readily grasp whole sen¬ 
tences or units of thought when presented.” 

“At this point Teacher A. interrupted: “You 
are one of those teachers filled with theoretical 
bunk. When you have taught as long as I have, 
you will get that knocked out of you.” 


1. What seems to be the bone of contention in this dispute? 

2. What should be the relationship of word study and sentence reading? 

3. How could the second teacher legitimately call the work during the first six weeks, teaching 
reading?” 









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Date. 


PROBLEM 11 
“Picture Readers” 


At the opening of school the teacher in Grade 
IIA discovered a group of children whom she 
characterized as “picture readers.” She said: 
“These children always scrutinize the pictures in 
their readers and often construct most interesting 
and at times most fanciful stories from them be¬ 
fore attempting to read what is given in the book, 


but when they try to read, they utterly disregard 
the content of the reading material itself and sub¬ 
stitute ideas gleaned from the pictures. When I 
question them concerning the cause of such 
reading, they reply: 'That’s the way our teacher 
last year told us to do.’ ” 


1. What suggestions and devices do you have for overcoming the difficulty? 

2. What is the legitimate use of pictures in the teaching of reading? 







V 


Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 12 

Diagnosis in Second-Grade Reading 


A teacher in Grade II reports to the primary 
supervisor that her pupils are unable to read the 
materials outlined for that grade. In fact, she 
says: '‘The children know absolutely nothing 
about reading. They can’t read the simple sen¬ 
tences given in their books or even recognize 
the simplest words which are in the books 
previously taught. When they try to read 


from either their books or the board, they con¬ 
tinually guess at the words, and when given a 
start on a sentence, they usually complete it by 
drawing on their own experience, but without 
regard to the contents of the sentence. They 
can’t keep the place in their books and don’t 
seem to know that the lines of a page ought to 
be read consecutively. They continually ask: ‘Is 
it time to turn the page?’ ” 


1. What specific things can the supervisor do to check the reliability of the teacher’s report? 

2. Assuming that the supervisor found the teacher’s report true, give a list of specific suggestions, 
exercises, and devices which might be helpful in remedying the conditions found. 





I 


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Name. 


Date 


PROBLEM 13 
Excessive Sounding of Words 


At the beginning of school the teacher of 
Grade IIB finds that one child cannot read with¬ 
out first sounding each word. His method of 
attack is to sound each word orally or in an 
audible whisper and then pronounce it. Then he 
attacks the next word. In this way there is no 


continuity to his reading, and no understanding 
of the contents is manifest. Investigation shows 
that he was taught by a teacher who placed great 
emphasis on phonics and word sounding. Fur¬ 
thermore, his parents believed in such teaching 
and had given him much practice. 


1. How do you explain the cause of the boy’s method of reading? 

2. How could phonetic instruction have been used so as to avoid forming such habits? 

3. What specific things can be done to overcome this habit? 







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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 14 
Dramatization 


Among the teachers of a particular school 
system there prevail three distinct ideas con¬ 
cerning the value of dramatization as an aid in 
the teaching of lower-grade reading. 

Teacher A. says: “Dramatization has no 
place in the elementary school and time devoted 
to it is wasted. I prefer to spend my time in the 
actual teaching of reading in the formal way.” 

Teacher B. maintains: “All selections which 
lend themselves at all to dramatization should 
be dramatized. Dramatization should be used to 
motivate the reading of the stories, and the chil¬ 
dren should actually be allowed to dramatize 
each story when it has been thoroughly mas¬ 
tered. By such a process the children become in¬ 
terested and read whole-heartedly. Furthermore, 


the mere process of dramatization teaches the 
children organization and gives them excellent 
practice in language work.” 

Teacher C. says: “I believe somewhat in 
dramatization as a means of motivation and sanc¬ 
tion the dramatizing of a few stories as the final 
stage in the teaching of the selections, but I op¬ 
pose the wholesale use of dramatization. The 
main value of dramatization is to aid in the inter¬ 
pretation of what is being read and it should be 
introduced whenever it will help vivify meaning. 
When it has served this purpose, there is no 
need for dragging it in at the end of the story. 
The story itself should beget the interest of the 
class and to secure it through dramatization as 
such is wrong.” 


1. What are the legitimate values of dramatization? 

2. Formulate a set of principles to guide in its legitimate use. 

3. What dangers do you see in the extended use of dramatization? 







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Date. 


PROBLEM 15 

Use of Script in Introducing Primary Reading 


The following is an extract from a letter 
written by a primary teacher in a large city to 
the Professor of Elementary Education in one of 
our best-known state universities: 

“We are revising our course of study in pri¬ 
mary reading and shall be pleased to have you 
refer us to some scientific investigations which 
will throw light upon the following questions: 

“1. Is it advisable to present script and print 
at the same time in the pre-primer blackboard 
lessons? 

“ 2 . Is not the teacher’s print so unlike the 
print in the book that an entirely different set 
of bonds is formed in learning it than is formed 
in learning the print of the book? 


“3. Isn’t it better for the teacher to use print 
made from a child’s printing press having block 
letters than to do her own free-hand printing? 

“ 4 . Are the arguments that script is the 
natural method of written expression and that 
the child will need to learn script before the end 
of the first half-year for the sake of his penman¬ 
ship sufficient to justify the use of script in the 
face of the objections raised? (In our school 
thirteen letters of the alphabet are taught during 
the first half-year.) 

“In case you cannot refer us to definite scien¬ 
tific studies, please give us the benefit of your 
opinion on these questions.” 


1. Write the letter for the Professor of Elementary Education. 

2. Make a list of the best references bearing on these questions. 



















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Date. 


PROBLEM 16 

Suspected Disability in Reading 


Mrs. B., who is much interested in the wel¬ 
fare of her stepson, a boy in Grade V of a public 
elementary school, wrote as follows to the De¬ 
partment of Psychology in one of our state uni¬ 
versities : “This boy makes especially good 
grades in arithmetic, spelling, language, geog¬ 
raphy, and history, but is very poor in reading. 
When he tries to read orally from the regular 
school reader he reads falteringly, with inaccu¬ 
rate pronunciation, and with little or no expres¬ 
sion. When tested upon the contents of the 


passage read, he shows that he has little or no 
understanding of it. He cannot be induced to 
read in the readers for the third and fourth 
grades. He refuses to do so on the ground that 
he is in the fifth grade and that he does not pro¬ 
pose to read from the books of a lower grade. 
He manifests considerable interest in the Youth’s 
Companion and in Popular Mechanics, but in no 
other reading material. However, he enjoys 
being read to, regardless of the type of material 
read.” 


1. What aid can you give Mrs. B. in attempting to interest the boy in improving his ability to 
read? 


2. What devices would you use in trying to ascertain the exact nature of his difficulty? 

3. Make a list of specific references which will aid Mrs. B. in solving her problem. 











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PROBLEM 17 

Inner Speech and Effective Study 


Grace R., a little girl in Grade IV, became 
very much annoyed because her teacher, Miss F., 
insisted that she study with “closed lips.” The 
child complained to her mother, who sent the 
teacher the following note: 

“Will you please allow my daughter to study 
her lesson in a loud whisper? I have taught her 
to do so because this is the most effective method 
of study. You ought to know that her studying 
in a loud whisper or even out loud utilizes both 
feeling and hearing what she is studying in addi¬ 


tion to the seeing which would be employed in 
study with ‘closed lips/ Furthermore, whenever 
you attempt to compel her to study with ‘closed 
lips/ you encourage superficial study, for she 
will just look at the page and not get any thought 
from it. Of course, I don’t want my daughter to 
make so much noise that she disturbs the other 
students, but I insist that she be allowed her 
study-whispering. I suggest that you acquaint 
yourself with the merits of the ‘shouting schools’ 
which our fathers and mothers attended.” 


1. Cite what evidence you can find on the relative effectiveness of visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic 
imagery, or the most effective combination of the three types of imagery. 

2. Write a reply to Mrs. R. for Miss F., citing experimental data to justify the insistence on having 
Grace study with closed lips. 






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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 18 
The Silent Reading Hoax 


Mrs. D., the mother of a child in the fourth 
grade in a small school in Indiana, objected to 
the teacher’s practice of devoting a portion of 
the recitation time to silent reading. She visited 
school twice and finally ventured to discuss the 
matter with the teacher. After some preliminary 
skirmishing, she said to Miss B.: “The best type 
of training for silent reading is to give training 
in oral reading. In the oral reading the teacher 


can demand accuracy which is impossible in 
silent reading. There is no other way in which 
the teacher can tell whether or not the children 
understand what they read. This so-called 
training in silent reading is simply a hoax de¬ 
vised by the teacher to get out of work. When 
she doesn’t want to take the time to teach a 
good lesson, she has a silent reading lesson.” 


1. State evidence to show that there are differences, e.g., eye movement, rate, comprehension, etc., 
between oral and silent reading. 

2. List various methods now used by teachers to test whether the pupils understand what they 
have read silently. 

3. If you were Miss B., how would you explain to Mrs. D., that training in silent reading is not 
a hoax that you and other teachers used to escape work? 





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PROBLEM 19* 
‘Watchful Waiting’ in Reading 


The quotation that follows was clipped from 
study suggestions recently given to high-school 
students: 

“Now then, how shall we read? First of all, 
read aloud. Every bit of literature properly so- 
called that history has to show is intended, not 
for the eye primarily, but for the ear. Every 
line of Shakespeare, every line of Milton, is 
meant to be pronounced, cannot be duly appreci¬ 
ated until it is pronounced. Often an entire mas¬ 
terpiece remains dark and forbidding, merely be¬ 
cause the reader has sought to interpret it with 
the eye alone .... 

“The process of making monotonous black 
characters on the page vividly stir the latent 
sense-perceptions is, however, relatively slow and 
irksome. Few people have ever learned to do it 
consistently; and hence, it is fair to say, few 
have ever truly learned to read. The moral is, 


read slowly. Take ample time. Pause where 
the punctuation bids you pause, that is, when 
you have not understood. As the line of sen¬ 
tences comes filing before the window of your 
soul, examine each individual expression with the 
animus, and more than the animus, you would 
maintain were you paying teller in a bank; say¬ 
ing to yourself continually, ‘Do I know this 
word?’ and, ‘What is this phrase worth?’ Toward 
what they see in print many people, otherwise 
shrewd and sensible, are strangely credulous; 
what they find in a book they instinctively think 
must be true. Yet books are not more trust¬ 
worthy than the men who write them; the num¬ 
ber of misguided and misleading books is in¬ 
finite. Good books are rare. 

“Read aloud; read slowly; read suspiciously. 
Reread. What a busy man has time to read at 
all, he has time to read more than once.” 


1. List the statements in this quotation that are questionable. 

2. Cite evidence to disprove the contention made. 


This problem is quoted from Edmonson's Problems in Secondary Education , No. 2 of this series. 





1 


Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 20 

The Attorney’s Charge Against Oral Reading 


At a township institute in Indiana a local 
attorney who took great pride in his views on 
education proclaimed in a very positive way that 
the teaching of oral reading in the elementary 
school should not be tolerated. He gave as his 
reasons: 

“1. There is little or no need for oral reading 
in actual life. 


“2. Oral reading interferes with getting 
thought from what is read. 

“3. The rate of oral reading is always less 
than that of silent reading. 

“4. In the primary grades, the teachers, by 
giving proper word drills and by utilizing proper 
testing devices, can tell just as well whether the 
children understand when reading silently as 
when reading orally.” 


1. Cite facts from scientific experiments to prove or disprove each of the attorney’s four reasons 
for not tolerating the teaching of oral reading. 

2. Enumerate a number of devices which can be utilized by teachers in determining whether the 
children understand what is being read silently. 













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PROBLEM 21 

The Place of Counting in Beginning Arithmetic 


Miss B. was devoting considerable time dur¬ 
ing the first year in arithmetic to counting. She 
had the children count the pupils in the class, 
the pencils, the sheets of paper or other supplies 
needed in supplying all members of the class, 
different kinds of like and unlike objects in the 
school and in the immediate surroundings, etc. 
She had the children count by rote to 100 by l’s, 
10’s, 5’s and 2’s; count forward to 20 and back¬ 


ward to 1; and begin with different digits and 
count to 20 by 2’s and 3’s. 

A patron of this school whose small child was 
being taught in this way objected very strenu¬ 
ously to the procedure. He said : “This thing of 
devoting so much time to counting is all 'tommy- 
rot/ My own child can count to 200 without 
making a mistake, and I don’t see any sense in 
paying a stupid teacher to spend a year in teach¬ 
ing him to count to 20.” 


1. How can Miss B. justify herself against this charge of stupidity? 

2. Describe a situation in which the patron would be justified in bringing the charge of stupidity 
against Miss B.’s procedure. 

3. To what extent should the counting of objects be utilized in the teaching of primary arithmetic? 





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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 22 

Counting in the Solution of Problems 


While giving some arithmetic tests in a pub¬ 
lic school in New Jersey the author happened 
to discover that the children in the second, third, 
and fourth grades tended to make much use of 
counting in the solution of problems of the test. 
This was especially noticeable in the third grade; 
some of the children counted in an audible whis¬ 


per; other visibly counted on their fingers; still 
others made marks on the margin or back of their 
papers. Several children, in solving problems 
like adding 72 and 26, made 72 marks in one line 
and 26 in another and counted them. In the 
other grades this tendency was less pronounced. 


1. How do you think this situation arose within these grades in this school? 

2. What are the objections to the practice? 

3. What specific things could be done to aid the children in overcoming this counting habit? 

4. What is the legitimate place of counting in the learning of arithmetic? 






Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 23 
Specific Number Situations 


A state supervisor of elementary education, in 
discussing the difficulties of number combina¬ 
tions, makes statements something like the fol¬ 
lowing : 

“Every number situation is a specific situa¬ 
tion. Because a child knows that ‘8 plus 7 are 15’ 
is no proof that he knows that ‘7 plus 8 are 15’ 
or that ‘18 plus 7 are 25/ ” 

“In order to locate specific difficulties pre¬ 
sented by the number situations involving the 
fundamental operations and to arrange drill in 
keeping with these findings, I am devising a set 
of tests which includes within its limits all possi¬ 
ble number combinations. In constructing the 


test I am proceeding as follows: (1) taking all 
possible combinations of single digits not in¬ 
volving carrying; (2) taking all possible com¬ 
binations of single digits involving carrying; 
(3) taking all combinations of two-place num¬ 
bers with one-place numbers; (4) taking all 

combinations of two-place numbers with two- 
place numbers; (5) taking three-place numbers 
in turn with all possible combinations of one- 
place numbers, two-place numbers, and three- 
place numbers; etc. I feel that this is necessary, 
because what test results I have suggest that spe¬ 
cific bonds must be formed for each specific num¬ 
ber situation.” 


1. Criticise the supervisor’s point of view from the standpoint of modern psychology. 

2. Cite existing evidence on ‘transfer effects’ in arithmetic. 

3. Cite typical illustrations to show that many errors in arithmetic are due to the wrong applica¬ 
tion of a ‘carried over habit.’ 









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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 24 

The Drill Period in Arithmetic 


Five teachers express the following ideas con¬ 
cerning the best distribution of time devoted to 
drill in arithmetic: 

1. The first 5 minutes of each recitation 
should be devoted to drill. 

2. At least 10 minutes should be devoted to 
drill, as the children do not get well started 
within a 5-minute period. 


3. One whole recitation period per week 
should be devoted to drill and none given on the 
other days. 

4. Fifteen minutes of drill on 3 days of the 
week, and none on the other days, gives best 
results. 

5. The drill should be given when needed and 
in such amounts as necessary. 


1. What facts do we know about habit formation that might have a bearing on this problem? 

2. What do the existing experiments involving arithmetic contribute to the solution of this 
problem? 

3. Formulate an experiment to be carried on in the elementary school for the purpose of deter¬ 
mining the optimal length and distribution of the drill periods. 











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PROBLEM 25 

Time of Beginning Formal Instruction in Arithmetic 


At a conference on educational measurements 
there was considerable discussion as to the cause 
of the poor achievement in arithmetic made in 
one city. The superintendent made the asser¬ 
tion that the poor results probably were due to 
the fact that active teaching of arithmetic did not 
begin in the first year. The primary teachers in 
the system disagreed with the superintendent. 


They asserted there was no need for formal work 
in arithmetic during the first year, that the chil¬ 
dren should be taught counting and the reading 
of simple numbers but nothing more, and that the 
remainder of the time which would be allotted to 
arithmetic would better be devoted to reading 
and language work. 


1. What is the general practice with regard to the time of beginning formal instruction in primary 
arithmetic? 

2. What evidence can you find concerning the best time for beginning formal instruction in arith¬ 
metic? 

3. What evidence can you find to justify the teachers in their assertion that the children in the 
first year would better devote to reading the time allotted in some schools to the formal study of 
arithmetic? 





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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 26 

Place of Arithmetic in the Daily Program 


When the author was developing his scale in 
arithmetic, it was necessary to give tests 
throughout the day. One afternoon about half¬ 
past two a teacher was encountered who was un¬ 
willing that her pupils be tested at that time of 
day. She said : “It won’t be fair to test my chil¬ 
dren at this time of the day. To be fair to me, 

1. What does the evidence show with regard to 
in arithmetic? 


the children ought to be tested early in the morn¬ 
ing when their minds are bright. Children can’t 
do anything with arithmetic in the afternoon. 
Teachers always take this into consideration in 
the making of their programs. Why should you 
not take it into consideration in your testing?” 


the influence of time of day on the achievements 


2. What arguments can be advanced for placing arithmetic early in the day’s program? 

3. What mistakes have often been made in interpreting the results of experiments attempting to 
measure the influence of time of day on achievements in arithmetic? 






Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 27 

Exposed vs. Unexposed Answers in Learning Number Combinations 


Two primary teachers of arithmetic were dis¬ 
cussing their practices in teaching the combina¬ 
tions in the fundamental operations. Miss A. 
said: “When I present new combinations, I al¬ 
ways present them with the answers given, and 
I always keep on the board a list of the combina¬ 


tions taught and their answers, so that the chil¬ 
dren can refer to them whenever they desire.” 

Miss B. retorted: “In my opinion your prac¬ 
tice of presenting the answers with the combina¬ 
tions is vicious, but your practice of keeping the 
combinations and their answers on display is 
even more so.” 


1. What justification can Miss A. offer for her procedure? 

2. What abuses might arise from her practice? 

3. What evidence exists which might aid in evaluating Miss A.’s practice? 

4. If you object to her practice, outline the method of procedure you would follow. 






Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 28 

Developing Accuracy in the Fundamental Operations 


In a test in the fundamentals of arithmetic the 
pupils of Miss W. did not solve correctly half of 
the exercises they attempted. She was much 
concerned and asked Miss Y., who had the repu¬ 
tation of being very successful, how to teach the 


children to be more accurate in their work. Miss 
Y. replied: “All you need to do is to give them 
plenty of speed drills in the fundamentals and 
the accuracy will take care of itself 


1. What facts do we know about the relationship of speed and accuracy in arithmetic? 

2. What suggestions do you have for aiding Miss W. ? 

3. How is this problem of accuracy related to the question of transfer? 





I 


Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 29 

Learning the Multiplication Table 


The author visited a fourth-grade lesson in 
arithmetic in one of the larger cities of Michigan. 
Most of the lesson was devoted to the mastery 
of the 6’s and T s in multiplication. When the 
class opened, the teacher, addressing the chil¬ 
dren, asked: “How many of you know the 6’s? 
the 7’s?” After commenting on the reports of 
the children, she had one child after another 
come to the front of the class and repeat in a 
sing-song manner either the 6’s or 7’s. After 
about twenty-five minutes of this type of per¬ 
formance, she announced that the time was up 
and assigned the 8’s and 9’s for the next day. 

1. Enumerate the weak points in this lesson. 


In a conference with the teacher after the 
lesson the following additional points concerning 
her practice in mastering the multiplication 
tables were ascertained: 1. She began with the 
table of 2’s and taught'the other tables in order 
up to the table of 12’s. 2. She believed in hav¬ 
ing the children learn the tables with the num¬ 
bers in regular order before confronting the chil¬ 
dren with exercises involving a random order of 
the numbers. 3. She said it was not good psy¬ 
chology to ask children to multiply such prob¬ 
lems as 475 times 6 before they had thoroughly 
mastered all of the multiplication tables. 


2. Prepare a set of precepts, or rules, to serve as ‘teaching helps’ for inexperienced teachers who 
are teaching the multiplication tables. 






Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 30 

A Drill Device in the Fundamental Operations 


In visiting one of the fourth grades in one of 
our large cities the supervisor found the teacher 
and pupils much interested in a drill exercise in 
arithmetic. The drill was in the nature of a game 
in which two teams made up from the class mem¬ 
bership were competing to see which team could 
amass the highest number of points from tossing a 
small ball through either of three triangular open¬ 
ings in the end of a barrel which was leaning for¬ 
ward at an angle of about 60 degrees. The tri¬ 
angular openings, roughly equilateral, with sides 
about three inches long, had been cut so that a 
fairly symmetrical arrangement resulted. Over 
one triangle was pasted a figure “7over a sec¬ 
ond triangle, a figure “8;” and over the third tri¬ 
angle, a figure “9.” According to the rules of the 
game, the children took turns at standing about 
six feet from the barrel and pitching the ball at 
the holes. If the child pitched the ball through 
a particular triangle, the side to which he be¬ 


longed added to its score the number over that 
triangle. Since there were 15 children on each 
side, the time allowed for the drill necessitated 
stopping the game when each child had thrown 
three times. The side having the highest num¬ 
ber of points at that time had won. 

The task was so difficult that only about one 
child in five was successful in pitching the ball 
through any opening, but the children were much 
interested and much excited and wanted to con¬ 
tinue playing. The teacher promised they could 
play at recess and that they would play again 
the next day. 

Upon inquiry, the teacher said they had been 
playing that game for some time. When asked 
why she had those particular numbers over the 
triangles, she replied: “Oh, those were the ones 
given in the book where I got the idea.” To the 
query: “Do you ever change the numbers,” she 
replied: “No, I haven't thought of that.” 


1. Enumerate the strong points in this teacher’s procedure. 

2. Enumerate the weak points in her procedure and suggest how they could have been improved. 

3. Formulate a set of principles for evaluating the use of devices as an aid in teaching. 



























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PROBLEM 31 

Boosting Drill Devices in Arithmetic 


In these days there is considerable discussion 
about drill and drill devices in arithmetic. Such 
a discussion was running rampant one evening 
just before the teachers’ meeting was called to 
order. One teacher had recently started to use 
the Courtis Practice Pad and was very enthus¬ 
iastic about it. As she was praising it highly, 
another teacher remarked: “It may be all right, 


but I’ll venture it doesn’t hold a candle to the 
Studebaker Economy Exercises .” A third teacher, 
sitting near by, remarked: “All who want to 
may take up with the new-fangled ideas, but I 
propose to make up my own drill exercises, and 
I’ll venture that I get as good results as any 
of you.” 


1. What are the chief characteristics of the Courtis Practice Pad f 

2. What are the chief characteristics of the Studebaker Economy Exercises? 

3. What evidence is available that should aid in evaluating these drill devices? 

4. What limitations do you see to the use of both of the Courtis and of the Studebaker practice 
materials? 






Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 32 

Analysis of Errors in Arithmetic 

Below are reproduced some problems from the Woody Arithmetic Scales. Under each problem 
is given the wrong answer (or answers) which almost always occurs when the problem in question 
is incorrectly solved. Mtov 


(1) 

(2) 


(3) 

(4) 

Add 

Add 


Add 

Add 

17 

3 


23 

9 

2 

2 


25 

24 

— 

— 


16 

12 

10 

6 


— 

15 




91 or 

514 19 





70 

(8) 


(9) 


(10) 

Subtract 


Subtract 


Subtract 

6 


11 


76 

0 


8 


60 

0 


17 or 

19 

10 


(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

Add 

Add 

Add 

43 

% + 1 /s = 1 / 9 

2 ft. 6 in. 

1 

or 8 or % or 

3 ft. 5 in. 

2 

% 

4 ft. 9 in. 

13 


11 ft. 0 in. 

14 




(ii) 

(12) 

(13) 

Subtract 

Subtract 

Subtract 

270 

1000 

27 

190 

537 

12% 

120 

1537 

15% 


1. How do you account for the error in the solution of each of these problems? . 

2. List the particular processes, or functions, which a child must master before he can add the fol¬ 
lowing problem correctly: 54 

47 

9 

90 

14 

99 


3. How can a teacher’s analysis of errors contribute to a better teaching on her part? 













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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 33 

More Analysis of Errors in Arithmetic 


Typical errors found by Counts in the use of the Cleveland Arithmetic Tests: 


In Addition 


In Multiplication 




In Multiplication 


(a) (b) 
9 5 

(c) 

5 

(d) 

2 

(a) 

0 

(b) 

3 

(c) 

7 

(a) 

Child No. 
(b) (c) 

I 

(d) 

(a) 

Child No. 
(b) (c) 

II 

(d) 

6 9 

1 

7 

2 

3 

7 

0 

4 

7 

8563 

0 

4 7 

8563 

— — 

— 


— 

— 

— 

2 

0 

0 

207 

2 

0 0 

207 

17 17 

7 

8 

2 

6 

14 

2 

4 

7 

59941 

17126 

0 

0 0 

59941 

171260 


1772541 231201 


In Addition of Fractions 


In Subtraction of Fractions 

(a) %-y 7 = v„ (e) % 

(b) s/ 7 _y 7 = 3/ 49 


(a) y 9 +%= % 8 

(b) V 9 +%= %i 

(c) % +%= 5 /is 

(d) 1 M.s + % — *%6 


(e) y 9 + % = %i 

(f) % +%= 5 y 8 i 

(g) %+%=% 

(h) i yi5 + ye = i2 / 9 o 


(C) % — %1 = % 5 
(d) %- 2 / 21 = 7126 


y T = %9 

(f) 3 /7-yr = 

(g) %-y 21 = i2 / 1 05 

(h) %~% 1 = 7 /27 


In Multiplication of Fractions 

(a) y 6 x 3 /io== i y3o (d) y 6 x 3 /io= 45 /3o 

(b) y 6 x 3 /io= Vu 


In Division of Fractions 

(a) 2 %i- y 6 =-&- 


(C) y6X 3 /lO = 10 /l8 


(e) y 6 X 3 /io= %o 

(f) y 6 x 3 /io= 20 


(b) %-*- % =T^ 

(c) 23 / 21 -> y 6 =-Ht 

(d) % -f-iy 15 =-| 2 - 


(e) 2 %i-y6 = -^- 

(0 2 # / 21 -y 6 =i|- 

(g) 2 o / 2 i-%=-£- 

w 2 y 2 i^y 6 =^|- 


1. How do you account for the wrong answers to each of the exercises given above? 

2. What suggestions do you have for overcoming each type of error indicated above? 



















Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 34 

Group vs. Class Instruction in Arithmetic 

The results of measurements had shown a 
great variation in the achievements among the 
thirty pupils in the fifth-grade class in arithmetic. 

The supervisor, in attempting to improve the 
nature of the instruction, suggested to Miss J. 
that she divide the class into small groups ac¬ 


cording to particular difficulties manifest, instead 
of trying to teach all thirty pupils in one large 
group. Miss J. seemed to be much perplexed at 
this suggestion and replied: “Your suggestion 
sounds all right, but I should like to see the 
teacher who can do it.” 


1. What helpful suggestions could the supervisor have given Miss J. for carrying out the recom¬ 
mendation of instruction in small groups? 

2. What evidence do we have showing that the method advocated by the supervisor is superior 
to teaching the class as one large group? 

3. What references would you suggest that Miss J. read in order to gain information on her par¬ 
ticular problem? 

4. Why do you suppose the supervisor recommended instruction in small groups rather than indi¬ 
vidual instruction? 






Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 35 

Methods in Column Addition 


A supervisor, while visiting teachers of arith¬ 
metic, found numerous practices in adding long 
•columns of figures. 

Miss F. had the children scan the column of 
figures and search for the combinations that 
make 10, and add in terms of 10’s. 

Miss M. had the children repeat each number 
to be added and the previous sum, e. g., 7 and 8 


are 15 and 15 and 7 are 22, and 22 and 5 are 
27, etc. 

Miss G. had the children refrain from utter¬ 
ing the number to be added and give only the 
partial sums. 

Miss B. insisted that the children refrain from 
uttering anything but the final sum. 


1. Criticise each of these methods of adding. 

2. Cite experimental data bearing on this problem. 

3. Plan in detail an experiment which might help to evaluate these different practices. 






Name 


Date. 


PROBLEM 36 

Purpose of Teaching Arithmetic 


The following statements set forth various 
purposes advocated for the teaching of arith¬ 
metic. 

1. Arithmetic is taught to develop in the 
child proper habits of accuracy in observation 
and computation. 

2. Arithmetic is taught to develop in the 
child a respect for the science of number. 

3. Arithmetic is taught in order to give the 
child an understanding of the numerical situa¬ 
tions surrounding him. 

4. Arithmetic is taught mainly for the mental 
discipline which accrues to the child. 

5. Arithmetic is taught in order to give the 


child a mastery over those processes and prin¬ 
ciples which will be needed in meeting the re¬ 
quirements of advanced study. 

6. Arithmetic is taught in order to give the 
child mastery over the processes and principles 
which will be needed in the solution of problems 
encountered in everyday life. 

7. Arithmetic is taught in order to train the 
child to think straight. 

8. Arithmetic is taught for the purpose of 
teaching citizenship through situations involving 
number relationships. 

9. Arithmetic is taught in order to aid the 
child in acquiring the culture of the past. 


1. Which of these statements do you accept as representing legitimate aims for present-day teach¬ 
ing of arithmetic? (Be ready to defend your choice and add any other statements with which you are 
familiar.) 

2. Which of these statements do you reject? 

3. If you do not endorse any of the statements, make a list of statements which do adequately 
represent the purposes of the teaching of arithmetic. 





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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 37 

Selection of Subject Matter in Arithmetic 


Below are given problems similar to those 
found in various arithmetics: 

1. If mamma cut a pie into 6 pieces and 
gave each person a piece, how many persons did 
she have to dinner if she used 3 whole pies for 
dessert? 

2. Helen bought her little sister a doll cost¬ 
ing $1.48 and a set of doll's dishes costing 67$. 
How much did both cost? 

3. A fourth-grade class wants to raise $65.25 
to buy a phonograph. They are going to give 
an entertainment. How many tickets at 25$ 
each will they have to sell to raise all of the 
money? 

4. Yesterday John had 7 marbles. Today he 
can find but 5 of them. How many has he lost? 


5. Yesterday John had 7 marbles, but lost 2 
of them. How many has he left? 

6. Maud is four times as old as her sister, 
who is 4 years old. What is the sum of their 
ages? 

7. I went to Sumner’s grocery at 5 p.m. and 
remained until 5:30. I bought potatoes at 35 
cents per peck, and 50 cents worth of bacon and 
gave the clerk a $5.00 bill. How long was I in 
the store? 

8. The children in Grade VI had a spelling 
test consisting of 40 words. Anne had 36 right ; 
Alice, 39 right; Lucy, 25 right; Edith, 30 right; 
Jean, 24 right. What percentage of the 40 words 
did each girl have right? 


1. Which of these problems are suitable for inclusion within textbooks for the elementary grades? 
Give reasons. 

2. Which of these problems should not be included within a textbook for the elementary grades? 
Give reasons. 

3. What are the criteria for determining whether a problem should be included? 

4. Examine different textbooks in arithmetic and list 10 problems which should not be included. 
Give reasons for excluding them. 


(Use the reverse side of the page if necessary.) 






Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 38 
Motivation in Arithmetic 


Superintendent F. evidently had been reading 
Wilson and Wilson’s Motivation of School Work, 
for in his talk to the teachers of arithmetic he 
emphasized that all of the arithmetic work should 
be motivated. When he asked for questions, 
Miss L. responded: “How would you motivate 
the teaching of the multiplication table?” 

Miss A. said: “I can teach some lessons 
which are definitely motivated, but don’t believe 

1. If you were Mr. F,, how would you answer 

2. How would you answer Miss A.? 

3. Could you adduce evidence to convince Mi 
valuable than “ordinary lessons?” 


it is any more possible to motivate all lessons in 
arithmetic than it is to motivate all drill exer¬ 
cises in arithmetic.” 

Miss G. dubiously began: “I think your talk 
about motivation is interesting, but I wonder 
if the children really get any more from these 
motivated lessons than they do from the ordinary 
lessons.” 

Miss L.? 


G. that motivated lessons in arithmetic are more 




















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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 39 

Approximating Answers in Arithmetic 


Mr. T., an eighth-grade teacher, reported that 
he was working on a test emphasizing the ap¬ 
proximation of the true answers to written prob¬ 
lems in arithmetic. He said: “So much of the 
time children work problems and accept the an¬ 
swers obtained without exercising a modicum 
of judgment as to whether the answers are either 
reasonable or possible. If we give children suffi¬ 
cient practice in approximating answers without 
actually working the problems we may over¬ 


come this habit of blind acceptance of the an¬ 
swers obtained.” 

Mr. A., listening to the above remarks, ex¬ 
claimed : “There is no earthly use in teaching 
children to approximate answers, for there is ab¬ 
solutely no call for this in life. Furthermore, 
it teaches children habits of inaccuracy. What 
we need to do in our schools to-day is to teach 
children to be exact and not to guess. This 
habit of getting things approximately is the cause 
of most of the present criticism of the schools.” 


1. Summarize the arguments on the worth-whileness of “approximating the true answers to 
written problems.” 

2. Would psychology justify the assertion that approximating the true answers to problems with¬ 
out actually working them is practice in guessing and that it begets habits of inaccuracy? Justify 
your answer. 






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Name 


Date. 


PROBLEM 40 

The Austrian vs. the “Take Away” Method in Subtraction 


There are two methods of subtraction widely 
used in present-day teaching. One is known as 
the “take away” subtraction and the other, the 
“and what” subtraction. By the former method, 
if one were given the problem in subtraction: 
794 
341 

he would proceed about as follows: 


1 from 4 leaves 3, 4 from 9 leaves 5; 3 from 7 
leaves 4. 

By the latter method he would proceed: 1 and 
what equals 4; 4 and what equals 9; 3 and what 
equals 7. This latter method is commonly known 
as “the Austrian method.” 


1. Examine six recent textbooks and list those making use of the Austrian method in the column 
marked “and what” and those not making use *of it under “take away.” 


“And what” 


u 

'Take away” 


Author 

Title 

Date of 
Publication 

Author 

Title 

Date of 
Publication 








2. What evidence can you find indicating the superiority of either of these methods? 

3. What are the arguments in favor of the Austrian method? 

4. What are the arguments against it? 































Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 41 

Labelling Steps in the Solution of Problems 


In visiting two teachers of arithmetic one is 
impressed with the difference in their procedure. 

Miss C. is very methodical and analytical. 
She insists that all pupils analyze the problems 
into the minutest details and that they label each 
step properly in solving them. Furthermore, 
she insists that the reasoning set forth in the 
solution proceed in a most logical way; e.g., she 
makes the pupils follow the rule that the multi¬ 
plicand must be of the same denomination as the 
desired product. 


Miss E. allows the children much more free¬ 
dom in labelling and in the method of working 
the problem. In fact, she asks for no more 
labelling than is necessary to keep from getting 
lost in the solution of the problem. She is inter¬ 
ested in having the pupils label the answer prop¬ 
erly, but she does not care whether any other 
labelling is done. She says that minute analyz¬ 
ing and labelling may be all right for first presen¬ 
tation of written problems or for stupid children, 
but as a rule these processes are a hindrance 
rather than a help in the solution of problems. 


1. What reasons can be offered for the method followed by Miss C.? 

2. What reasons can be offered for the method followed by Miss E. ? 

3. What position does Thorndike take in his New Methods of Arithmetic? 





Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 42 
Making Arithmetic Easy 


The two extracts that follow are taken from 
a talk on “Making Arithmetic Easy” given at an 
institute some time ago. 

“Some combinations, such as 8 plus 9 and 
9 plus 7, are really difficult, but they become 
very easy when you teach the child that all he 
has to do in making combinations involving 9 is 
to subtract 1 from the units’ column of the other 
number and add 1 to the tens’ column; likewise 
that all he has to do in making combinations in¬ 


volving 8 is to subtract 2 from the units’ column 
of the other number and add 1 to the tens’ 
column.” 

“In adding, subtracting, or multiplying in¬ 
volved problems it will be much easier for the 
children if they are taught to write down in ap¬ 
propriate places the partial sums, the numbers 
to carry, the number or numbers in the minuend 
after the borrowing has been done, or the num¬ 
bers to be carried in multiplying.” 


1. Criticise this instructor’s suggestions in the light of modern psychology. 

2. Summarize the points made by Thorndike on the “Use of Crutches.” 

3. List any disagreements you may have with Thorndike’s contentions. 






Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 43 
Projects in Arithmetic 


After having read an elaborate description of 
the problem method in arithmetic, a teacher be¬ 
came very enthusiastic and tried to convince the 
other teachers that this method should be 
adopted throughout the school system. She 
gave elaborate descriptions of how arithmetic 
may be taught in connection with the building 
of bungalows, house plannings, school picnics, 
school gardens, Red Cross activities, Boy Scout 
expeditions, liberty loans, etc. She insisted that 


the present course of study ought to be reorgan¬ 
ized at once and that all portions of it which do 
not lend themselves readily to problem-teaching 
ought to be eliminated. 

The other teachers were unsympathetic and 
insisted that arithmetic cannot be taught with¬ 
out definitely organized and systematized drill 
and that the proposed “problem method” fosters 
interest in things other than in arithmetic itself. 


1. What are the advantages that are alleged to arise from utilizing the so-called “problem method” 
in the teaching of arithmetic? 

2. What are some of the difficulties which must be met in adopting it? 

3. Oh the basis of your reading make a list of “projects” or “problems” giving the particular 
grades in which they were taught. 

4. What is Thorndike’s position with regard to the “problem-solving attitude?” 






Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 44 

Standards of Achievement in Arithmetic 


Superintendent S., in charge of a small school 
system in Indiana, in discussing the results ob¬ 
tained in Grade VIII with the Courtis Standard 
Research Tests, Series B, says: “The pupils in 
this grade have done exceptionally well. They 
have achieved a median score of 12.8 problems 
correctly solved in the 8 minutes allowed and 
thus have exceeded the Courtis standard of 12 
problems correctly solved. Undoubtedly, this 
very excellent achievement is due in part to 
the fact that the goal of solving 12 problems 
correctly within the specified time was empha¬ 
sized almost daily. I venture that this attain¬ 
ment indicates the value of having a definite goal 


constantly before the children. Consequently, I 
propose that for the next year the goal to be 
striven for be 13 problems correctly solved; for 
the second year hence, 14 problems; and for the 
third year hence, 15 problems, etc. Thus, by 
continually raising the goal of achievement the 
pupils will be brought to a higher and higher 
level of achievement.” 

At this point in the discussion Miss B., who 
taught the grade in question, exclaimed: “I can’t 
see any reason for struggling so hard to have 
children accomplish these high levels of achieve¬ 
ment when they lose a great deal of this ability 
as soon as they stop practicing.”. 


1. Justify Superintendent S. or Miss B. 

2. Cite available evidence on the ability of adults in the fundamental processes. 








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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 45 

Selecting a Spelling Vocabulary 

Just after a measurement of spelling had been 
made in a certain school system a discussion 
arose concerning how an author of a spelling 
book determines what words to include in the 
spelling vocabulary. 

Miss P. said: “I think the author selects the 
words from the vocabulary found in the reading, 
geography, or history lessons.” 

Miss G. asserted: “I think the author sits 
down and thinks of the different situations with 
which the child is surrounded and about which 

1. What is the primary purpose of the teaching of spelling? 

2. Describe briefly three different attempts to determine scientifically the words which should be 
included in the spelling vocabulary. 

3. What objections do you see in choosing the spelling vocabulary from other lessons, such as 
reading, geography or history? 


he reads and then selects his spelling vocabulary 
from the words which are used in describing 
these situations.” 

Miss M. said: “I believe the author ex¬ 
amines the pages of the dictionary and bases his 
selection on the difficulty and common use of the 
words.” 

Miss J. declared: “I am pretty sure the au¬ 
thor chooses his vocabulary in part at least from 
the words used by children in their compositions 
and in other written work.” 







Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 46 

Spelling in the “Good old Days” 


“The schools are not turning out the good 
spellers to-day as they used to when I was a 
boy,” said one of the respectable citizens of a 
Michigan town some time ago. He went on to 
say: “The children in the public schools of to¬ 
day can’t spell anything. I became convinced of 
this just recently when I happened to find an 
old speller that I used when I went to school, 
and I decided to have some fun by seeing how 


well my boy and girl could spell some of these 
words which we had to spell when I went to 
school. Now my boy and girl are about ready 
to graduate from the elementary school, but I 
want to tell you that neither of them can spell 
such words as ‘spectacle/ ‘gossamer/ ‘buoyant/ 
‘aggrieve/ ‘obstinate/ ‘subpoena/ ‘aggrandize¬ 
ment/ or ‘phtisicky/ I tell you they can’t spell 
the way they used to.” 


1. What objections do you see to this man’s method of measurement? 

2. Cite evidence which indicates that the children of the present-day school spell as well as the 
children in the “good old days.” 

3. Assuming that the man’s method of measurement is valid, also assuming that on the average 
the children in the schools to-day do not attain as high scores as the children in the schools of yore, 
what explanation could be offered for the situation? 








Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 47 

Impossible Words in Spelling 


A supervisor listened to a spelling recitation 
in Grade VIII and found the teacher drilling 
upon the following list of words: 

jardiniere ammenable 

chastizement casserole 

propitious souffle 

inanimate oleomargarine 

aqueduct limousine 


When the supervisor asked the teacher where 
she got these words, she replied : “They are words 
which have been selected from the spelling book 
and which the children have been missing over 
and over again. It seems that it is impossible 
for the children to learn to spell them.” 


1. If you were the supervisor, what would you do about this situation? 

2. Formulate a set of principles which should be taken into consideration in the selection of a 
spelling book. 

3. How can you determine whether a spelling book has a suitable vocabulary? 






Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 48 
Learning to Spell by Rule 


Miss E. proclaimed loudly: “The cause of 
poor spelling is found in the fact that we don’t 
teach enough rules. When I went to school, we 
had to learn not only how to spell but also the 


rules governing the spelling. Nowadays we pay 
no attention to the rules and consequently spell¬ 
ing is just a matter of mere memory.” 


1. What evidence can you find bearing on the effectiveness of teaching spelling by rules? 

2. List the rules that have been found to be most effective in the teaching of spelling. 

3. Examine three or four recent spellers and list the rules advocated by each of the different 
authors. 










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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 49 
A Cure for Poor Spelling 


Mr. A., principal of an elementary school in 
one of our large cities, insists that one of the 
causes of poor spelling is the small number of 
words assigned per lesson. He says that having 
so few words in the lesson does not require the 
pupils to put forth much effort because they can 
remember the words assigned without it. In 
accordance with his belief he has conceived a 
method which he thinks remedies this defect. 
On Friday of each week he gives to pupils in 
each grade a list of all the words assigned for a 
week’s work as outlined in the course of study. 
If the pupils can spell all of the words on Mon¬ 
day at the time of the spelling test, they are ex¬ 
cused from further work on spelling for the week. 
Those who are unable to spell all of the words 


of the given list must drill until they can. 
Usually those who spell all of the words cor¬ 
rectly on Monday have the privilege of spend¬ 
ing in any manner they desire the time ordinarily 
devoted to spelling, but at times the teacher asks 
them to aid in drilling or testing the others. The 
principal, in commenting upon the method, says: 
“The percentage of words retained by this 
method of teaching is considerably greater than 
the percentage retained by other methods. It 
is due to the fact that the larger number of words 
presents a greater challenge to the pupils and 
causes them to put forth greater effort. The 
long list of words makes it impossible to study 
the words over once or twice and then recite 
them. It compels more intense effort and more 
repetitions.” 


1. How many words are in the usual daily assignment in spelling in the different grades of the 
elementary school? 

2. What are the points of merit in Principal A.’s method of teaching spelling? 

3. Criticise Principal A.’s methods from a psychological standpoint. 

4. Plan in detail an experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of Principal A.’s method. 















































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Date. 


PROBLEM 50 

Spelling in Context or Columns 


Mr. X., of the Survey Commission, charged 
with the responsibility of measuring the efficiency 
of the teaching of spelling in a large school sys¬ 
tem, insisted: “The spelling test should be a 
dictation test in which the words are given in 
context. The testing practice should be in keep¬ 
ing with the best practice in teaching, and teach¬ 
ing spelling in context is the best practice.” 


Mr. Y., another member of the Commission, 
however, urged: “Very few teachers really teach 
the words in context. They think they are using 
a word in context when they pronounce it and 
then use it in a sentence, but they are not using 
it in context at all. Furthermore, I am not con¬ 
vinced that teaching words in context is actually 
more effective than teaching them in columns.” 


1. What did Mr. Y. mean by saying that to “pronounce it and then use it in a sentence” is not 
teaching a word in context? 

2. Quote experimental studies on the relative efficiency of testing or teaching spelling in context 
or in columns. 

3. What are the objections to the teaching of spelling in context? 





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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 51 
Teaching Homonyms 


Miss L. reported to her supervisor that the 
children of her fifth-grade class were continually 
substituting ‘their’ for ‘there/ ‘hear’ for ‘here/ 
‘deer’ for ‘dear/ and ‘sea’ for ‘see/ In fact, she 
declared that all the homonyms she had been 


teaching in spelling seemed to be misused in the 
dictation exercises, in spelling, and in other writ¬ 
ten work. She wanted to know what she could 
do to eradicate this confusion in the minds of her 
pupils. 


1. Make a list of questions which the supervisor might well ask Miss L. in order to help diagnose 
the situation. 

2. Enumerate the conclusions which have been reached in experimental studies concerning the 
best method of teaching homonyms. 

3. Indicate the method of teaching homonyms advocated in the “suggestions for teaching” in 
three or four of the recently published spellers. 





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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 52 

Diagnosing a Spelling Situation 


Miss N. reported to the supervisor of spelling 
that her pupils made a very poor showing on 
a recent spelling test and that they dp very 
poorly on their daily spelling lessons. The 
supervisor asked how many words were given 
for each lesson and found that Miss N. assigned 
the usual number given throughout the city sys¬ 


tem. When asked concerning her method of 
teaching, Miss N. said: “1 assign the lesson one 
day and the children spell the words orally the 
next day. At the end of each month for pur¬ 
poses of review we have a spell down. This is 
practically all that we do.” 


1. What additional questions might the supervisor have asked in order to help diagnose the gen¬ 
eral situation? 

2. What are the apparent weaknesses in Miss N/s method of teaching spelling? 

3. Assuming that the time devoted to the hearing of the spelling recitation was all that could be 
devoted to the subject, what suggestions do you have for helping Miss N. improve the use of this 
time ? 









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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 53 

Teaching vs. Testing Spelling 


Superintendent G. was conferring with his 
teachers about the teaching of spelling. Among 
other things, he said: “Most teachers do en¬ 
tirely too much testing of spelling and not enough 
teaching of spelling.” When questioned concern¬ 


ing what he meant, he replied: “Standing in 
front of a class and pronouncing the words to the 
children who are writing them down is testing 
spelling, but not teaching it.” 


1. How can a teacher really teach spelling? 

2. What do the experimental data show concerning the effectiveness of the teachers supervision 
of the study of spelling? 

3. How can the spelling practice be changed so as to permit more ‘teaching’ of spelling and less 
‘testing’ of it? 








Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 54 

Syllabification in Spelling 


A superintendent of schools visiting in Grade 
V found a teacher who greatly stressed syllabifi¬ 
cation in her teaching of spelling. At the begin¬ 
ning of the period she directed the attention of 
the children to the list of twelve words which 
she had written on the board with proper syllabi¬ 
fication. She pronounced the words slowly, 
enunciated the syllables very distinctly, and 
drilled the pupils in this pronunciation. Then 
she asked the children to copy the words as 
divided. When they had finished copying, she 
asked first one child and then another to spell 
different words orally and to indicate the sylla¬ 
bles by pauses. (In this type of drill she seemed 
to be avoiding the old practice of spelling and 


pronouncing each syllable in turn.) After this 
oral spelling she allowed a few minutes for study 
and then gave a written test in which a word 
was counted wrong unless written with proper 
syllabification. 

In answer to the superintendent’s inquiry she 
replied: “I require syllabification in all spelling 
tests, no matter whether they are on advanced 
lessons or on review lessons. Sometimes I vary 
my method by having the children find in the dic¬ 
tionary the proper syllabification of a given list 
of words or by having them divide the words 
and verify their syllabification through use of the 
dictionary.” 


1. Enumerate the points of merit in this teacher’s method. 

2. What objections might be raised against her method? 

3. Cite available evidence on the value of syllabification in the teaching of spelling. 





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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 55 

Permanence in Spelling Achievement 


A teacher in an elementary school in one 
of our large cities became very much inter¬ 
ested in trying to see if she could measure the 
effect of a much advocated practice in the teach¬ 
ing of spelling, viz., testing the children upon 
their spelling lists before they have studied them 
in order to determine which words each child 
needs to study. Consequently, she selected 50 
words from the ?Vyres Spelling Scale from the 
column which indicates that if the children spell 
as well as expected they attain a score of 84 per¬ 
cent correct. Her class scored but 78 percent 


correct, which was somewhat below standard, 
but not bad considering that the pupils had not 
studied the words. During the next ten days 
she taught the words that needed teaching. She 
gave both individual and class drill in which she 
utilized the commonly accepted methods of teach¬ 
ing spelling. When she had finished teaching the 
words, she retested with the original list, and the 
class made a score of 94 percent correct. Three, 
weeks later she tested again with the same list 
and was greatly surprised to find that the class 
scored only 78 percent—exactly the same score 
which it had made before studying the words. 


1. How do you account for the fact that the score made on the third was the same as that made 
on the first testing? 

2. What suggestions do you have for making the results of the teaching of spelling more per¬ 
manent? 

3. What evidence do you find that ability in spelling is a matter of heredity? 





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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 56 
Spelling Disability 


Miss E. reported to her superintendent: 
“There are two boys in my room who apparently 
cannot learn to spell. I have taken special pains 
in trying to teach them and have made use of 
all of the suggestions given in the course of study 
for the teaching of spelling, but my work seems 


to be of no avail. At times I drill these boys in¬ 
dividually until they have mastered the words 
of the spelling lesson, but later, possibly the next 
day, they misspell the words just as if I had 
never taught them. What shall I do with these 
boys?” 


1. What would you do in order to diagnose the situation presented by Miss E.? 

2. What suggestions do you have for teaching these boys? 

3. What does a perusal of the literature show to be the most common causes of error in spelling? 






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Name. 


Date. 


PROBLEM 57 
Misspelled Words 


A composition written by a boy in a certain 
public school read thus: 

“Once there was a little boy who live near 
Chikago. His mother never aloud him to sail 
his baot on the lake cause she was fraid he would 
upset and droun. One day he run away and 
took a long ride on the fairy-boat. As the boat 

1. How many misspelled words do you find in 
made. 

2. Formulate a set of principles to guide one 

3. Enumerate the disadvantages of trying to 
ing in the composition work. 


move away from the doc he heard the people 
crying allowed and turned and seen a child had 
fell into the water. He never thot but just jump 
into the water and try to save the child. The 
people hollered and at last did get him back on 
to the fairy boat. When he got home and told 
his mother she did not scold him but said he 
done his duty in trying to save the child.” 

this composition? Classify the types of errors 

in marking spelling in such compositions as this. 

test the efficiency of spelling by means of the spell- 





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